How Enterprise Mobile Solutions Transform Emergency Operations

When a natural disaster, conflict, or humanitarian crisis strikes, three major branches of emergency aid are required: food, healthcare, and communications.

International aid groups like the UN-led Emergency Telecoms Cluster (ETC) are founded on the principle that telecommunications play a vital role in humanitarian relief. From initial response to the rebuilding of mobile networks and local broadcasting, a viable wireless communications network supports both local populations and disaster relief teams.

The UN Refugee Agency, the UNHCR, defines the Refugee Emergency Telecommunications sector as a pillar of their work, required for everything “from emergency registration and biometric enrolment to commodity distribution and reporting – as well as support(ing) safety and welfare of aid workers in the field.”

In areas where the traditional telecoms infrastructure has been impacted by targeted attack or natural disaster, emergency teams need alternative sources of communication.

Wireless communications support three functions in crisis zones:

• Internet access: Ensuring first responders and local populations can communicate with the outside world.

• Secure comms: Independent, reliable, and secure communication channels.

• Coordinating bodies: Aligning communications between NGOs, governments, local populations, press, and others.

Coordinating teams on the ground, communicating with affected persons, supporting translation services, and maintaining contact with a central command center depend on a range of telecommunications services, including multimedia messaging (MMS) and real-time video calling. For emergency responders in these environments, long-distance telecommunication is vital.

While wireless communication has played a part in humanitarian efforts since the early 90s, the global adoption of smartphones and technological advances like eSIMs, 4G/5G data, and video calling have made it a fundamental aspect of humanitarian aid. Distributing connectivity in volatile environments remains a considerable challenge.

Here, we explore how developments in eSIM technology and mobile data address some of these issues and uphold the work of humanitarian agencies.

How eSIM technology supports emergency responders

• Network auto-switching: An eSIM’s ability to operate internationally is possible through its auto-switching function. Whereas a SIM card is tied to one specific operator network, eSIMs from an international mobile network like 1GLOBAL have access to multiple separate networks across the globe, automatically connecting to the strongest available local signal. Emergencies often cause a spike in mobile data usage, overloading local networks – the ability to instantly reconnect to an alternative provider ensures a maintained connection, even in areas with unreliable coverage. For internationally active organizations, eSIMs allow teams to cross borders while retaining a mobile connection. In the event of a local network outage, eSIMs have on occasion been able to connect to networks from neighboring countries.

• Remote SIM distribution: Unlike a SIM card, which must be physically obtained and inserted, an eSIM can be remotely and instantly transmitted online to any eSIM-compatible phone, anywhere in the world. For aid agencies, this remote SIM distribution enables the delivery of connectivity to inaccessible or hazardous regions. Since its founding in 2024, Connecting Humanity has remotely distributed hundreds of thousands of eSIMs to civilians, medical professionals, and aid workers.

• Resilience: In addition to being easier to distribute than SIM cards, eSIMs are more reliable. This is a particular asset in inaccessible or remote regions, where replacing a damaged or lost SIM card isn’t an option. Instead of being inserted via a dedicated slot, eSIMs are downloaded and stored on an internal chip in the phone’s hardware. This eliminates the risk of loss or theft of the card and limits the ingress of dust and water into the device.

• Instant activation: Once distributed, an eSIM can be used to get online in seconds. For humanitarian groups, this means the flexibility and scalability to assign and activate new eSIM profiles for workers and volunteers around the world, as and when needed. An eSIM can be downloaded and activated by clicking a link, scanning a QR code, or even by being remotely "pushed" from the operator, with no user effort required.

The challenges of using eSIMs in humanitarian zones

While eSIMs provide a range of benefits for use in crisis zones, challenges remain.

Until very recently, eSIMs were exclusively a feature of higher-end smartphone models – ensuring teams have access to eSIM-compatible devices must first be determined. Public awareness of their usage is still growing, and unfamiliarity with the technology can hinder their practicality in emergencies. As the technology continues to gain traction worldwide, this is changing, with eSIM compatibility increasingly seen on mid-range and budget smartphones. It’s also important to note that eSIM usage rates vary greatly by region. While eSIMs provide most cellular connections in the Americas, SIM cards are the majority in SSA, MENA, and APAC regions. Some individual nations, like China, enforce specific restrictions on their usage.

How humanitarian groups use telecoms

Satellite communication

Satellite communication is the most reliable source of connectivity in any location, bypassing local network infrastructure entirely. Establishing a satellite phone link is often the first port of call for first responders in affected regions. While reliable and secure, a satellite phone connection is expensive and only possible on specialized satellite handsets. In situations where a regular mobile data network is available, eSIMs offer a lower-cost source of connection for a wider range of devices – distributing eSIMs is cheaper, faster, and possible at a larger scale than distributing satellite phones.

Télécoms Sans Frontières is a sister organization of Médecins Sans Frontières that establishes telecoms communication networks in crisis zones to support both local populations and the humanitarian organizations working within them. Initially, this was entirely focused on satellite communication. As global wireless coverage and smartphone adoption improve, NGOs are exploring more widely available telecommunications alternatives.

Temporary mobile networks

Temporary mobile masts are a recent solution for disaster response teams. These packable cell towers are used in a range of industries, including events and festivals – last year, Glastonbury erected 10 mobile masts to supply signal to 200,000 visitors over a single week. The same crowd management principles and functionality in challenging conditions have made ruggedized portable mobile networks an increasingly common sight in crisis zones and regions without regular mobile access.

Self-contained, battery-operated mobile masts are now seeing use among emergency aid NGOs as well as national police, fire, and military bodies.

Operator-led initiatives like Vodafone Instant Network or Ericsson Response provide a localized data network that can be unpacked from a flight case and commence delivering mobile access within minutes of arrival. While this can take longer to establish than a satellite connection, it provides a signal to anyone in range with a regular mobile phone, as opposed to specialist satellite handsets.

eSIMs and telehealth

Providing emergency medical support is one of the major roles of disaster relief teams. Telecoms technologies are an integral part of this emergency healthcare: the telehealth sector allows medical professionals to virtually communicate with patients when a personal meeting would be impossible.

Already, eSIMs and high-speed data networks are advancing the capabilities of frontline responders and emergency medics. Wireless communications are now a vital part of modern ambulances. With a dedicated Wi-Fi or data connection, ambulance crews can send hospital staff photos and videos of the patients en route, helping to speed up diagnostics, triage cases, and prepare emergency rooms for inbound patients. Real-time video calls also facilitate the relaying of medical instruction to ambulance crews performing onboard procedures.

Enterprise mobile plans for international teams

First response organizations are built around speed: major international agencies maintain physical offices and volunteer groups around the world, ready to deploy personnel, supplies, and technological infrastructure as needed. Supplying these teams with reliable mobile internet access is a prerequisite for effective coordination and response.

Conflicts and natural disasters regularly spill across borders and coverage zones. Aid organizations must be able to work across nations, focusing on populations and affected areas rather than political boundaries. Doing so requires an international mobile connectivity service.

Enterprise plans from 1GLOBAL allow organizations to take control of their connectivity budgets with scalable, reliable, and global eSIM connectivity packages for organizations. A 1GLOBAL mobile plan provides uninterrupted coverage across 190+ countries, with eSIMs constantly reconnecting to the best available local network.

• For teams on the ground, this means the flexibility to travel to new regions as needed, while remaining connected via a secure and reliable network.

• For IT administrators, it connects an internationally active workforce on a single contract, without the need to negotiate new roaming contracts for every country of operation. Remote eSIM distribution makes it simple to scale up or down operations as required, without causing unpredictable billing cycles.

• Mobile communications often carry sensitive operational or personal data. Enterprise solutions provide secure channels and compliance-ready infrastructure, protecting teams and communities alike.

Adopting a scalable mobile strategy across borders

Humanitarian groups must continually adopt new methods to continue their essential work in the face of globalized conflict and the accelerating rate of natural disasters caused by climate change. The UNHCR emphasizes the need for preparedness and scalable telecommunications strategies that are equipped to deal with sudden changes in network demand.

Resource allocation is a key consideration for crisis response groups. IT administrators in these organizations perform a delicate balance of employing cost-effective measures while ensuring the ability to ramp up operations in response to sudden events and emergencies.

A single, shared worldwide connectivity plan simplifies this process. It allows organizations to manage all connectivity operations worldwide, while shared data plans and scalable billing models provide the agility to react effectively to emerging situations. These billing models help to prevent overspending or breakage fees, which is crucial to the efficacy of resource-limited charities, NGOs, and governmental agencies.

For more information on 1GLOBAL enterprise mobile plans, contact our team directly.